


Jūni Taisen: Zodiac Wars. Replacement Zodiac and Meddlesome Fox.

by Andy_N0namus



Category: Naruto, 十二大戦 - 西尾維新 | Juni Taisen - Nisio Isin
Genre: Animal Traits, Blood and Violence, M/M, Necromancy, Usagi being Usagi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-19 23:04:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17010867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andy_N0namus/pseuds/Andy_N0namus
Summary: WIthin a year before the start of the Jūni Taisen Four Warriors are no longer able to participate, so what do the people behind the Jūni Taisen do? Get new warriors or course.However, the new warriors just need a little tweaking in order to fully participate in the Jūni Taisen.And Naruto doesn't trust them one bit.





	1. Prologue

Jūni Taisen: Zodiac Wars. Replacement Zodiac and Meddlesome Fox.

Prologue: Before the Tournament Begins.

<><><>

Voice 1: "The Dog is no longer able to participate in the Jūni Taisen."

Voice 2: "Damn it! That makes 1/4 of the warrior slots empty."

Voice 3: "The Jūni Taisen is in one year... How are we supposed to have the 12-year tournament of the 12 Warriors with only 8 Warriors of the Zodiac?"

Voice 4: "We no longer need to worry."

Voice 2: "What the hell do you mean?!"

Voice 4: "I found 4 warriors to participate in the tournament. They might need a little tweaking here and there, but they'll certainly make this tournament interesting."

Voice 3: "Oh? You think they'll be ready by the time the Jūni Taisen starts?"

Voice 4: "They will."

Voice 1: "What are the tweaks you want to them to make them suitable for the Jūni Taisen?"

<><><>

Four sneezes rang throughout Konohagakure in complete union.

"Gesundheit," everyone in the immediate area said at the same time.

Sasuke sniffed, pinched his nose, and said: "That was weird." Shino rubbed his nose and nodded. "No kidding, hope none of you are catching anything," Naruto stated as he watched Gaara rubbed his nose with a napkin. Sakura watched her friends and asked no one particular "Seriously, what are the odds of the four of you sneezing at the exact same time." "Who knows, maybe it's just a coincidence," Kakashi said broadly with a sniff. "Or someone's talking about you (1)," Temari stated slyly. Kiba then asked, "But who's talking about Shino, Sasuke, Gaara, and Kakashi-sensei at the same time?" "Or it can be four different people talking about each of them," Shikamaru said in a bored tone.

Gai wrapped an arm around Kakashi and said "How about a little "Physical Activity" later, to keep you healthy." The masked ninja flushed red and muttered "Gai... Not in front of them."

Naruto waved the to Jônins off and said: "Don't mind us, besides, Kiba and Shino are much worse." "One of us anyway," Shino grumbled as he adjusted his glasses. Kiba chuckled at that and said, "I'm not denying it." Naruto snickered when he saw Shino flush red. Gaara placed a hand on top of Sasuke's hand.

The Sand Siblings in Konohagakure for the Kage Summit. They were early so they can hang with their friends. Plus, Gaara wanted some personal time with his Sasuke.

"Gaara, it's time for the Summit," Temari told her younger brother. "Already?" The redhead groaned. He wanted more time with Sasuke. Temari told Gaara that they'll stay an extra week. With that, the Sand Siblings left for the Summit.

<>

The Konohagakure group then went to their usual training grounds.

"Have you made your decision yet, Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked the Uchiha, who leaned against a nearby tree and said with a sigh "No..." The Nara heir sighed and said, "I don't blame you, especially since it is a majorly big decision." Sasuke eyed the ground. The Uchiha and Gaara wanted to live together, but the redhead was the Kazekage of Sunagakure, making the two's living arrangements a little tricky. Gaara couldn't live outside Sunagakure, and Sasuke has only had ever live in Konohagakure (officially and not counting the long away missions) and wasn't really use to the scorching temperatures of a desert.

A shout got Sasuke's and Shikamaru's attention. They turned to see Kiba sitting on top of a defeated Naruto's back.

"Oi! Kiba get off!" Naruto shouted, squirming to get out from under the dog-nin. "Say the magic word," Kiba said with a wolfish grin. Before Naruto could say anything, Shino grabbed Kiba by the ear, pulled him off of the blond, and said: "I thought you said you wouldn't do these kinds of things to other people." Kiba snickered, despite the position he was in and said: "Aww, come on, Shino, you know you're the only one I really love under me." The Bug-nin whacked the Dog-nin over the head.

"Kiba is as subtle as an earthquake," Shikamaru said with a snicker. Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle in agreement before he turned his attention to the sparring Kakashi and Gai. "Wonder what they betted on that match?" Sasuke asked Shikamaru without much of a real care when he saw how serious the to Jônin were fighting. The Nara heir shrugged and said, "Probably something perverted." "Is that the first thing your brain thinks of?" Sasuke snipped with a smirk. Shikamaru only smirked in response.

Sasuke then looked up at the sky, to watch the clouds go by. "Are those stars?" Shikamaru asked suddenly when he saw four glowing lights in the sky overhead. Sasuke noticed them too when he said: "They can't be, it's daytime." Before anyone could register anything, three of the lights hit the earth where the Konohagakure shinobis were, each encasing one person.

<>

"Kazekage-sama!!!!" The guards for the Summit shouted when a sudden light engulfed the young redheaded leader. The other Kages went into action, trying to save their fellow Kage, but were repelled almost immediately. "What the hell!" The Mizukage hissed in anger.

Who could blame her? Someone was attacking the Summit... Maybe...

When the light dissipated, everyone saw that Gaara was on the ground, but he was all right, except...

"Gaara! What happened to your hair!? And what the hell happened to your legs?!!" Temari shouted when she saw her younger brother. Gaara rubbed his head and felt that his hair was long. He ran a hand through it, both to judge the new length and to see if it really was his. "How'd?" Gaara asked as he tried to stand, before falling back to the ground. That was when the Kazekage realized he no longer had human feet.

"How'd I get these?!" Gaara asked, staring at his new rusty red fur covered legs with gray hooves.

<>

"Kakashi! You all right?" Gai shouted as he ran to his fallen friend's side. The silver-haired Jônin sat on his knees, rubbing his head, and said: "Yes, but damn, I feel weird..." That was when Gai saw a long silver dog tail poking out from Kakashi's slacks (that were ripped where the tail popped out). "Kakashi... Is this some kind of Transformation Jutsu?" The green Jônin asked as he gently tugged on one of the pointy silver wolfish ears where Kakashi's human ears use to be. The now human-hybrid stood to his feet, looked at his now claw-like nails and said: "I don't think so."

"Damn it... I have one hell of a splitting headache," Sasuke grumbled as he forced himself to a sitting position, rubbing his temples. Naruto and Shikamaru just stared at the Uchiha, with their jaws to the ground and faces flushed red. The two could NOT believe what they were seeing.

Sasuke... Looked like an... A... A cute, adorable, fuckable sheep/human hybrid.

Sasuke had the small, curled, ram horns on the sides of his head, his raven hair looked fluffy soft and curled a bit (and was a bit longer), and had legs of a sheep (the back legs) that were covered in short, soft, black wool.

The Uchiha opened his eyes to see his new legs. "What the fucking hell!!!" Sasuke snapped, felt his legs to see if they were real, which they were, and then realized he had horns when he noticed his head felt heavier. And now at the moment, Sasuke wasn't acting like the calm and collect Uchiha.

Shino, on the other hand, was hiding behind a large tree. Completely Mortified with his new appearance.

"Shino? You okay?" Kiba asked as he walked up to the tree and got a good look at the bug-nin.

Blood spewed out of Kiba's nose when he saw Shino's new appearance and said: "Wow, sexy." Shino threw a rock at Kiba and told the dog-nin to give him the jacket he was wearing. Kiba took off his jacket and gave it to Shino, who immediately put it on before coming out from behind the tree. The bug-nin's slacks looked shredded for some reason, but they were still wearable and covered what needed to be covered.

"Okaaay... I know the Kage Summit is majorly important and all, but this is an emergency," Naruto stated, trying his best not to jump on Sasuke right then and there. "No kidding," Shikamaru said, then snickered as he eyed Sasuke. The Uchiha growled and snapped at the Nara heir "That joke was baaaad." Sasuke quickly covered his mouth. Did he just bleat (2)?

Okay, it was official, they HAD to talk to Tsunade.

The group took off for the Summit, but they stopped immediately when Sasuke couldn't stand on his new legs.

<> <>

The Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, and Tsuchikage stared at Gaara, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Shino. None of them could believe their eyes.

"If we didn't see it happen ourselves, we wouldn't have believed it," the Raikage stated as Tsunade looked over the reptile scales on Shino's arm. The Hokage concluded that the four where indeed transform into actual animal hybrids. Kakashi pinched his nose and said "Not to mention the enhanced traits. Grr, who's wearing that overly sweet scent." The Kages glanced at the Mizukage. "Speeeeek for yourself," Sasuke bleated, before covering his mouth. Shino scratched some peeling skin off his arm. Gaara was currently trying to figure out how to tie his now long hair back.

"But how did that light transformed you guys into hybrids?" Naruto asked as he folded his arms. Shikamaru placed the second knuckle of his right index finger on his chin and said "The light came from the sky... But it wasn't a lightning type jutsu... Or any kind of transformation jutsu..."

"It was just some tweaking that was done so they can participate in the Jūni Taisen," an unknown voice said to everyone in the room.

Everyone immediately got into a fighting pose as they turned to the voice, except for Sasuke, who fell to the ground because he couldn't keep his balance on his new hooves.

The voice belonged to a man in a long black trench coat and a black hat. He took his hat off, placed it on his chest, bowed, said: "My apologies, I am one of the officials for the Jūni Taisen, and the one who made the tweaks to our new participants, too make them a bit more suited for the Jūni Taisen."

Kakashi growled, Gaara clopped his hooves in anger, Shino hissed, and Sasuke bleated in anger as they glared at the man in black "You diiiid this to us!? Why the fuck!" At the moment, the Uchiha no longer cared that he bleated. The man put his hat back on and said: "Why for the Jūni Taisen, as I stated before."

Tsunade was the one to ask "What is this Jūni Taisen? And why did you turn three Konohagakure Shinobi and the Kazekage into animal hybrids?"

The man in black smirked and explained "The Jūni Taisen, the Zodiac War, is a tournament held once every 12 years. The participants for the Jūni Taisen are 12 of the deadliest mercenaries/warriors with attributes of the 12 signs of the Zodiac."

"So 12 people fight in this Taisen tournament... Did you morph them too?" Naruto asked in suspicion. The man in black only said "No, they are naturally like that, but unfortunately, three of the warriors that were invited to the Jūni Taisen are no longer able to participate and one cannot participate under one of the Zodiac sign due to a technicality, and we needed replacement who fit those four vacant sign."

"I am Noooot joining any tournament against my will, especially liiike this," Sasuke stated, trying to keep his balance on his new legs. "I second the motion," Shino stated, pushing his glasses back a bit. Gaara figured out how to tie his now long hair back and said: "I have a nation to run, so unless it involves the Chûnin Exams, I'm not interested in any tournament." Still pinching his nose, Kakashi said: "I'm not interested in any tournament that involves such extreme modifications." The man in black placed a hand on top of his hat and said with an eerie smile "I'm sorry, but you actually don't have a choice in the matter. The four of you are participating."

"What?!?!"

"No worries, I shall help you adjust to your new bodies, so you'll be ready in a year," the man in black said with that eerie smile still on his face. "Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest?" Shikamaru asked, readying his shadow for an attack. The man in black waved a hand and said "No worries, I am only in charge of making sure that the participants' are able to be in the Jūni Taisen. The judge/referee of the Jūni Taisen is a different person entirely."

"I shall return you four to your original forms after the Jūni Taisen has concluded, but not a second before. Doing these things take time though," the man in black said, the eerie smile still on his face. "We really don't have a choice, huh," Kakashi stated folding his arms. "Tis the will of the Jūni Taisen," the man in black said. Sasuke balanced himself on his new legs, placed his hands on his hips, and said: "You'd beeeetter keeeeep your word." The man in black bowed and said: "I shall, you can count on it."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man in black. The blond didn't trust this guy.

<> A Month Later <>

Despite not trusting the man in black, or "Kuro" as everyone started calling him because he never gave his name, he did keep his word on teaching the hybrids to adjust to their new bodies with no tricks.

"Sooo, how's the legs?" Naruto asked Sasuke as he, Sakura, and the Uchiha walked to Ramen Ichiraku. Sasuke looked down at his hooved legs and said: "I can balance on them better now, but running and jumping is still a bit of problem." "How are Shino, Gaara, and Kakashi-sensei doing?" Sakura asked. "Sensei and Gaara are good, but Shino's not liking the shedding," Sasuke said as they sat down at the stools, then added, "Kiba's been helping with that."

"Of course he is," Naruto and Sakura said at the same time.

They gave their orders, before continuing their conversation.

"No way, really?" Sakura asked in shock. "It's true," Sasuke said before adding while rubbing the back of his head "We all found out when we tried to use our jutsus, and Shino's Kidaichū were mutated. Plus, I kinda destroyed some of the training equipment by accident." "So all of your abilities altered when all of you were turned into hybrids," Sakura said as Sasuke nodded at the comment and added, "Kuro was actually surprised by that, I'm guessing our altered abilities were unintentional." Naruto then said, "So these Jūni Taisen people don't transform people often enough to catch any side-effects." "Sounds about right," Sasuke said with a sigh. The blond then snickered and said, "But, I'm sure you're enjoying the extra time with Gaara." Sasuke turned red at that. They then got their bowls of ramen.

"I'm just going to saaaay, it's nice that we're living under the saaaame roof," Sasuke said with red stained cheeks, not even trying to stop himself from bleating. The Uchiha was soooooo not telling his teammates about Gaara's new stamina, especially in bed.

"I still don't trust Kuro," Naruto said between mouthfuls of ramen. "Neither do I, but what choice do I have," Sasuke said as he stirred his ramen a bit. Sakura then pipped in "Did he even say how he transformed you, Shino, Gaara, and Kakashi-sensei?" The sheep hybrid shook his head and said "He only said he just made the "Tweaking" so we'd be better suited for the Jūni Taisen." Naruto then grumbled "If turning four people into animal hybrids is a "Tweak" to them, I hate to see what they consider a "Makeover"." Sasuke mumbled a "Ditto," before slurping up some of his ramen.

<><><>

Kakashi ran his tongue over Gai's bare chest. The green wearing man was enjoying the tongue bath. When the silver-haired Jônin got to the other's erect penis, he took the whole thing into his mouth. "Ah! Watch the teeth," Gai said when he felt the sharp canine brushing against the skin. "Sawy," Kakashi said, mouth still full of Gai.

Once Gai was wet, Kakashi rolled onto his back and spread his legs open. The green wearing Jônin smiled, crawled over the silver-haired hybrid, and said: "You've been on the wild side lately." "Must be the new canine part of me," Kakashi said as his tail wagged from side to side. Gai smiled as he slowly entered the dog hybrid. Kakashi wrapped his arms around Gai with a wolfish grin and said: "Shall we." Gai smirked and the two went at it.

<>

Gaara nuzzled Sasuke as he thrust into him. "Meeeeh!" The Uchiha bleated in pleasure.

"You're really soft," Gaara muttered as he licked Sasuke's neck. The Uchiha flushed red and said, "D-don't say weird things!" Gaara pulled away and asked "Why? It's true, you're soft." Sasuke looked away, face still red, and said: "It still sounds weird..." Gaara quickly went back to what he was doing. "Meeh!" Was all Sasuke got out as the redhead pounded into him.

Gaara filled Sasuke to the brim.

Sasuke panted as he tried to steady his heartbeat, and said "Gaara, please, let's take a break and let me shower... We've done it seven times already and your cum is leaking out..." Gaara blinked and said "Have we really done it seven times? And you're that full?" Sasuke propped himself onto his elbows and panted out "Yes... So... Can we take a break?"

Gaara crawled over Sasuke and said in a slightly menacing tone "We just did." "Meeh?!" Was all the Uchiha got out before the redhead pounced on him and started round eight?

<> A Week Later <>

"I must say, you four are processing positively well," Kuro said with that eerie smile present and added, "I almost wish the Jūni Taisen would start early, just so I can see how you do."

Sasuke glared at the man in black and said: "We want this damn Jūni Taisen to start sooner too, so it can end sooner." Gaara and Shino nodded in agreement. Kakashi was just leaning on a nearby tree, glaring at the man in black. Kuro kept that eerie smile when he said: "I understand what you mean, but I do recommend you try your hardest in the Jūni Taisen."

"How about telling us the rules of this Taisen thing, so we actually know what we're getting into," Naruto asked from the tree Kakashi was leaning against, keeping his eyes on the man in black.

Kuro stared at the blond for a bit before saying "While I cannot disclose some of the rules right now, I can tell you some of the basic ones." "Oi, why can't you tell us all of the rules?" Naruto asked/shouted at the man in black. Kuro tapped his hat and said, "Because some of the rules are only for the 12th Jūni Taisen and to be relieved when all twelve warriors are together at the designated location." Naruto's eyes narrowed in pure suspicion.

"I shall tell you the basic rules," Kuro said with an eerie grin.

Naruto still didn't trust this guy.

<> 10 Months, 2 Weeks, and 5 Days Later <>

Kakashi sheathed two short swords onto a belt.

Gaara closed the lid to a wooden box half his size.

Sasuke finished polishing a metal bō staff.

Shino finished buttoning up a gray ankle long overcoat (you could easily mistake it as a long sleeved dress).

The Jūni Taisen was just around the corner.

<> The Next Day <>

"Damn, why the hell do we have to wear these things?" Sasuke growled out, tugging at the helm of the gray shorts that barely covered him down, just cover a bit more of his person. The Uchiha was also wearing a flimsy gray shirt with no sleeves, and wearing armbands with curled black wool. He was holding a blue metal bō staff in his left hand.

Gaara was wearing a tight red, sleeveless shirt, formfitting black slacks, and knee-high, ruby red boots. He had a wooden coffin roughly half his size strapped to his back and two small coffins strapped to his arms. Gaara's waist long, red hair was tied into a high ponytail, the strands cascaded over the coffin on his back.

Shino was wearing an oversized gray overcoat that pretty much covered him from neck to ankles. Keeping himself covered so no one could see his "sexy" appearance, as Kiba liked to call it.

Kakashi was wearing what looked like a knee-length gray fur cloak, white slacks covered by gray knee-high leather boots, a black shirt under the cloak, and he still wore his mask and village headband over his left eye (Sharingan still present). His tail swayed when he said, "I have to agree with Sasuke-kun."

Kuro gave the eerie smile and said: "Those outfits were another official's designs."

Kakashi snorted in annoyance and said "Then that one is not the most creative person. This *indicates his outfit* is the same clothing design that the former Dog representative was wearing." Kuro tipped his hat a bit and said "True, but I'm sure there's a reason for that." "I would like to meet the person. Seriously, who would want to put an old man in this ridiculous outfit?" Sasuke growled in annoyance, tugging at the shorts again. "I'm starting to think this outfit wasn't made for the prior representation of the Sheep," Gaara muttered, not liking how other people were looking at his lover and glared at them.

"Now, before we head off to the location of the Jūni Taisen... Introductions please," Kuro said with that eerie smile of his.

"Cht, fine," Sasuke said before stating "Uchiha Sasuke; Warrior of the Sheep; Killing Blows."

Gaara closed his eyes and said "Gaara of the Desert; Warrior of the Horse; Killing Coffins."

Shino adjusted his glasses and said "Aburame Shino; Warrior of the Snake; Killing Venom."

Kakashi stated broadly "Hatake Kakashi; Warrior of the Dog; Killing Fangs."

"Happy?" The four hybrids asked Kuro in an annoyed tone at the same time. The man in black grinned and said: "Most definitely."

Kuro then opened a portal to the location of the Jūni Taisen (3).

Kiba jumped onto Shino and said cheerfully "Don't miss me too much Love Bug~." Shino, in turn, got Kiba into a headlock and hissed out "I thought I told you not to call me that ridiculousssss nickname in public." The Dog-nin gave a wild grin, despite the choking, and said "Awwwww, but Shino, I don't know when I'm gunna see you again."

Gai was a lot less "Obvious" with his affection. He just gave Kakashi a hug and told him that they were tied again. The silver-haired Jônin chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I'll be back to break the tie this time." Kakashi then nuzzled Gai's neck as his tail wagged happily.

Temari told Gaara not to go overboard during the Jūni Taisen, and to make sure he ate lunch.

With that, the animal hybrids followed Kuro through the portal. Naruto bit his lip and raced after them. "Oi! Naruto!" Sakura shouted. The blond stopped short of the portal and snapped "I don't trust that guy! And I sure as hell don't trust him with our friends!"

Naruto then jumped through the closing portal, and into the bloody battle of the Jūni Taisen.

<><><>

Footsteps echoed through the empty streets of the vacant city. There were no signs of any living thing, save for the owner of the footsteps. In fact, the streets looked like they were recently filled with activities that were suddenly stopped in a single night. This is the effect of the Jūni Taisen.

The footsteps stopped in front of an electronics store.

The man stared at one of the computer monitors on display.

A flashback image of a beeping heart monitor appeared in front of the man's eyes. Then the image of a person in a hospital bed. Sed person was unconscious and had had an iv drip in his left chalk white arm and an oxygen mask coving half of his face. A pale hand covered the calk white hand.

The man blinked, snapping himself back into reality. He then pulled a metal chain out from under his shirt and cradled the two golden rings that were attached in his hand. The man stared at the rings and said to himself "I will win the Jūni Taisen," he then clenched his hand closed with the rings still in his palms and said, "And you will be back by my side, Michio..."

<><><>

Shino looked out the window of the tallest tower in the city and asked: "Did this Jūni Taisen really removed the 500000 citizens in a single night?" "Considering what they did to us, that doesn't surprise me," Gaara stated, looking out the same window. Sasuke walked up to the window and said: "It's going to be a battlefield soon, guess they don't want any unnecessary casualties." Shino adjusted his shades and stated dryly "Gee, how humane of them."

"Ano, can you guys untie me?" Naruto asked, squirming to get free of the ropes that had him tied to a nearby pillar. The three animal hybrids turned to look at the blond and Sasuke said: "You're staaaaying there until Kakashi-sensei gets back." Naruto pouted and said "Oh come on, I was worried about you guys! And I don't trust that Kuro guy." "We know," Shino said with a sigh, then Gaara said, "You've been saying that the entire year."

Sasuke glanced over at the entrances (the stairs and the elevators) and wondered out loud "I wonder when the other Warriors are going to arrive?" "They should be here soon," Shino said resting an elbow on Naruto's head. The blond, of course, wasn't happy about it.

That was when the elevator dinged.

<><><>

1)) A Japanese superstition. It basically says if you sneeze for absolutely no reason, someone's talking about you. You see in a lot of anime and manga. 

2)) Bleat is just the sound sheep, goats, and caves make.

3)) Just adding this because it's easier.


	2. Chapter 1

Jūni Taisen: Zodiac Wars. Replacement Zodiac and Meddlesome Fox.

Chapter 1; 12 Signs, 12 Warriors, and a Fox.

<><><>

A young woman stepped out of the elevator. She had short but bright orange hair, wearing some kind of combat (somewhat) clothing, glasses, a camping backpack, a khaki fur wrap around her neck, a pair of headphones with a mic attached, a pair of thigh high stockings, a pair of combat shoes, and she had what looked like a monkey tail attached to the back of her belt. She spotted the teens and said "Oh? You must be the replacements for Sheep, Horse, and Snake." Sasuke turned to the young woman, nodded, and said "Yes, I'm the new Sheep, *points to Gaara* he's the new Horse, and *points to Shino* he's the new Snake." The young woman then noticed Naruto, still tied to the pillar, and asked "Ano... Who's the blond?" "Just call this problem child Fox," Shino said, patting the annoyed Naruto on the head, and added "He just had to follow us and Sensei." "Sensei?" The young woman asked in a curious tone. Gaara answered "He's the Dog in the Jūni Taisen." The young woman smiled cheerfully and said "Oh, so Dotsuku-san is your teacher."

Despite being annoyed with how he was being treated, Naruto did wonder why this woman thought this "Dotsuku" guy was their sensei. 'Oh, right, now I remember,' the blond thought, thinking back to the second month of training.

<> Flashback, Two Months After Hybrid Transformation <>

"Is it really okay for us to be looking at these?" Gaara asked as he looked at the data sheet on the previous representative of the Horse. Kuro waved and said "It's fine, since you four Are the new representatives after all." Sasuke was reading through the datasheet of the previous Sheep representative like he would a non-fiction novel. 'This guy...' The Uchiha thought as he turned a page, completely engrossed in what he was reading. Kakashi looked over the datasheet for the prior Dog representative and asked "Kami, what the hell happen to him?"

The silver haired Jônin was looking at a recent picture of the former Dog representative, apparently the guy's "professional" name was Dotsuku. Kakashi then read off the list of list of injuries that Dotsuku had "Three broken ribs, eight fractured ribs, both shoulders were dislocated, both humorous fractured, both ulnas fractured, pelvis cracked in four placed, a broken ankle, fractured skull, and currently in a coma.... What sort of battle was this guy in?" Kakashi then looked at the current picture of Dotsuku. The former Dog appeared to be a middle aged man with short black hair and had dog ears on top of his head and skin was as white as pure snow, he was currently in a hospital bed and had on a breathing mask and had an iv drip in his left arm. Kakashi then looked at a picture of a close-up of Dotsuku's face, before his trip to the hospital, his sclera is black while his irises are cyan blue and he had canine sharp teeth.

"That's something you don't have to know," Kuro stated, before adding "But, while we're on the topic. Since he isn't dead, the other Jūni Taisen participants have not been told he's been replaced." Kakashi looked up from the papers and asked: "How come?" Kuro simply stated "According to the Official Rules of the Jūni Taisen, Participants are to be informed when a fellow participant is dead or is removed from the roster due to a technicality. Since Dotsuku-san isn't dead or has been removed via a technicality, the others have not been informed about him being replaced." "That makes no sense! Why the hell do you have a rule like that?!" Naruto practically shouted. Tapping his cheek and thought a bit, Kuro said "Well, to be fair, we never had any of the participants go into a coma before any of the Jūni Taisen... Not in any of the eleven prior Jūni Taisen. Shame though." 

"But the other participants will be expecting Dutsuku, not me," Kakashi stated raising his visible brow. "One, maybe two, actually know what Dotsuku-san looks like, but the rest never actually met him," Kuro said with an eerie smile on his face. Narrowing his eye, Kakashi said "Are you telling me to pretend that I'm Dotsuku? But, it says here his killing specially is called "Mad Dog's Vise", he kills by biting his enemies. I can't do that, my teeth aren't like his, so there's no way I'll be able to pass as him." Kuro raised a hand and said "Of course not, I am merely stating to be prepared to be called Dotsuku." "Then how about telling us that in the first place," Shino stated flatly, adjusting his glasses.

<> End Flashback <>

'I guess it makes sense she would think Kakashi-sensei is this Dotsuku guy,' Naruto thought.

"Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself," the young woman said, before adding "I'm Sharyū; Warrior of the Monkey; Killing Peacefully."

"Killing Peacefully?" The Shinobi asked in unison, then Shino asked "Isn't that a oxymoron?" Sharyū smiled and said "Oh, I prefer to end wars and moderate conflicts in a non-violent manner." "I guess in a way, you are killing something..." Sasuke said, still not really sure about the whole 'Killing Peacefully' thing. "Ano, are you guys going to be okay?" Sharyū asked in concern, before adding "I mean you guys are going to be facing your sensei in the Jūni Taisen." "We'll be fine, we can handle ourselves," Gaara said, then Sasuke said "Besides, Sensei isn't one to just roll over on anyone." "Except maybe with Gai-sensei in bed," Naruto grumbled, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

WHACK!!

"OUCH! What was that for?" Naruto asked as a large bump started forming on top of his head. "Your mouth and pervertedness," Shino said adjusting his glases. Sasuke rubbed his temples and Gaara just sighed. Sharyū blinked a bit before giggling happily. "What's so funny?" The four teens asked in unison. The Monkey smiled and said "Oh, nothing, it's just, you guys seem to get along really well."

'She.... Really means that... She doesn't really seem like a warrior of any kind,' Naruto thought as he stared at Monkey, then wondered 'But... Why is someone like her in this tournament?' The blond then settled on the idea that she was forced into this Jūni Taisen too.

Sasuke spoke up "Since we're introducing ourselve. I'm Sasuke; Warrior of the Sheep; Killing Blows." "Gaara; Warrior of the Horse; Killing Coffins," Gaara stated calmly. Shino adjusted his glasses and said "Shino; Warrior of the Snake; Killing Venom."

Sharyū then said "You guys are awfully young to be in a tournament like this." "We were literally last minute replacements," Shino stated. "I heard... It's a shame that the prior Sheep and Horse died...." Monkey said with a sad sigh. It sounded like she really meant it. 'Okay, seriously... How is she in this Jūni Taisen?' Naruto wondered with a raised brow. After all, this person seems way too passive to even be a warrior.

<>

Gaara was looking over 12 pitch black but sparkling gems, all cut in a weird shape. 'What are these going to be for?' The redhead wondered as took one of the snacks that the Jūni Taisen staff left for the warriors to munch on while they waited. But Gaara did have a sneaking suspicion that those gems weren't really gems and had a hunch that those were going to play a big part in this Jūni Taisen.

<> <>

It didn't take long for some of the other Zodiacs to arrive, and from what Naruto could figure, they were indeed warriors or mercenaries. Well, except for this one who looked no older than Naruto. He had short gray hair, sleepy gray eyes, and this odd looking armor. He didn't really seem like much, heck, the moment he walked in he found the closest pillar, sat down, leaned against the pillar, and dozed off. But the thing that stood out about this gray haired teen to Naruto was the fact that it felt like he's seen that teen before. 'But where did I meet him?' Naruto wondered, before his thoughts were interrupted by some shouting. The blond turned his attention to where the shouting was taking place and saw Sasuke just about ready to pummel a pair of identical twins (1). One twin had a flamethrower while the other had an ice-thrower.

"Aww, come on Lambchop, why not have fun with me and my brother," one of the twins said with a perverted grin. "What paaaart of NO don't you understand?" Sasuke snapped/bleated at them, just about ready to use his bō staff to clobber the duo. Gaara got between the Uchiha and the twins and said "I believe my lover told you he wasn't interested, now back off." "You're his lover?" The other twin asked with a raised browed. Shino shoved his hand in his pockets and said "I highly recommend that you not pick a fight with him, you'll lose before you even land the first blow."

"Oi! You're the bastard who took my place!" One of the twin snapped looking right at Shino. "Pardon?" Was all the bug-nin said with a raised brow. The peeved twin then growled out "The position of the Snake was supposed to be mine!" "Oh, you must be that warrior that was removed because of a technicality," Shino said, before asking "What exactly was the technicality? I was just given the reason "That the 12 Warriors had to be different", and I'm not really sure what that meant."

Monkey interrupted by saying "Ano, actually... One of the Jūni Taisen Rules do say that the DNA of warriors have to be different..."

"Ah, now I see," Shino said, adjusting his glasses. "You do?" Sasuke, Gaara, and Naruto asked at the same time. Shino explained "These two are identical twins, thus have the same DNA and meaning only one can participate. I assuming that the older twin is allowed to participate in this Jūni Taisen as the Dragon." One of the twins, probably the older, scoffed and said "The Jūni Taisen just doesn't want the two of us winning this thing easily and getting that wish."

Naruto highly doubted that for some reason.

<>

The next warrior to arrive was another woman but in a red rather skimpy outfit with a red feathered cloak, boots covered in a thick coat of red fur that is yellow at the feet, she had bright green hair decorated with two big red feather fans and two tied braids on the sides of her head, green eyes, and carrying a long spading fork. When she saw everyone looking at her, she smiled and waved cheerfully at them.

For some reason, she gave Naruto the hibby jibbies.

The next person was a tall, handsome man with long dark brown, nearly black, hair with red on the underside that almost reached his ankles, wearing a black matador outfit with gold trimmings, and he had a pair of black ox horns pocking out from the sides of his head (they pointed to the ceiling). As this man walked by, Naruto noticed a saber strapped to his belt. 'Whaaa, this guy looks super tough,' Naruto thought with a gulp, and then thought 'Not to mention the guy's drop dead gorgeous.' Sasuke, Shino, and Gaara noticed a nice little tent in their blond friend's slacks, it didn't take much thought on how that got there.

Another orangette woman arrive, wearing what looked like a tiger printed bikini, tiger printed leggings, a black leather jacket, cat ear hedband, and a black collar with a long chain with a orange paw attached to the other end. 'What the hell is she wearing?' Naruto wondered with a sweatdrop on his forehead. The tent was gone now.

<>

Sasuke, Gaara, and Shino stood near the still tied up Naruto at the moment. That was when Gaara whispered to his allies "Besides Kakashi-sensei, there are two warriors that aren't here yet." "Yeah, what's taking him so long?" Sasuke asked his friends. Naruto sighed and said "Well, one, it's Kakashi-sensei and he's always late." "But, not like this, especially considering the circumstances," Shino pointed out.

That was a valid point.

"Say, can you guys untie me," Naruto asked his friends, straining against the ropes and said "I'm kinda getting a look from those twins, and I really don't like it." The three animal ninja hybrids did glance at the twins, who where indeed giving the blond a perverted look. "Yeah, I rather you not be a sitting duck to those brats," Sasuke said as he started uniting Naruto from the pillar. Once the ropes were loose enough, the blond wiggled out and said "I really hope you don't fight those two right off the bat, they obviously got something on their minds, and I don't think it's fighting in this tournament." "I hate to admit it, but you might have a po-!" Sasuke stopped mid sentence looking passed Naruto in horror.

Naruto turned to see what had Sasuke freaked, and ended up being freaked as well.

It was a young man with a fit build, he had messy white short hair which covered his left eye while his right eye is red with a black sclera, sharp teeth, a black rabbit eared headpiece as one of the ears was droopy. Guess the thing that did startle Naruto was the odd and VERY revealing attire the white haired male was wearing. A collar with a black bow was neatly wrapped around his neck, two black suspenders hooked across his shoulders supported his black shorts that pretty much just covered his modesty, he also wore a large, puffy, white rabbit tail on his back, and a pair of black high heel shoes.

Naruto took a step away from the weird looking rabbit man, who just tilted his head to the side, staring at the teens. The only thing Gaara noticed was the two oversized blades he was holding in his hands.

"Ano... Hi..." Naruto said in a nervous tone that also had a twinge of freaked to the white-haired man. The blond to a half step back. The weird rabbit man walked up to Sasuke, who was pretty much ready to expect the worse and use his bō staff.

The next thing everyone knew, the rabbit man was hugging Sasuke and nuzzling him. The Uchiha was officially creeped waaaay out of his skin at the moment and Gaara had a murderous look in his eyes. "Fluffy soft.... Really, super, fluffy, soft," the rabbit man stated in a creepily happy tone. When the crazy guy groped Sasuke's crotch, the sheep hybrid shoved the crazy white haired man away and shouted "Hands off creeeeeeep!!" Gaara ran right to his lover's side, facing the coffin on his right arm towards the man in the skimpy outfit.

The strange rabbit man tilted his head to the side, as if he hadn't done anything wrong or weirdly inappropriate.

'Okay, seriously! What the hell is with all of these perverted warriors!?' Naruto thought, now bracing himself against the closest wall, far away from the bunny man.

The rabbit man pointed one of his swords at Sasuke and said "You're going to be my Special Friend." Faster then anyone could blink the ninjas were on the other side of the hall, far away from the crazy man. Gaara wrapped an arm around Sasuke, and the Uchiha inched closer to the redhead. 'Kakashi-sensei, you better hurry up and get here,' Naruto thought, really wanting to be far away from all of the perverted people in the room. The blond was really hoping the silver haired man had a really good, legitimate, excuse this time.

"Usagi; Warrior of the Rabbit; Killing Psychologically," the rabbit man said, before rushing towards Sasuke, swords ready to slice.

The sound of metal on metal filled the hall.

"Oi, oi, the tournament hasn't even started, so I suggest you put those swords away for now," the owner of a short bladed sword stated, locking his sword with one of Usagi's blades.

"Sensei!!" Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, and Shino shouted at the same time.

True to form, Kakashi was finally here, locking blades with the Warrior of the Rabbit to prevent him from attacking. The silver haired man looked over his shoulder at his fellow Shinobi and said "Give me a minute and I'll explain why I'm late." Kakashi pushed Usagi back, forcing the rabbit man to almost trip over the high heels he was wearing. "If you're going to attack the other warriors, do so when the tournament starts. Doing it before could earn you a disqualificat-," Kakashi said mid-sentance before being attacked by Usagi, slicing the air with one of his blades, missing his mark. The silver haired man easily dodged the sword. "Sensei!!" Naruto shouted as Kakashi dodged more swipes of Usagi's swords. Sharyū tried to get the two to stop, but it wasn't heard.

After a good solid minute of this fight, Kakashi managed to trick Usagi into embedding his swords into a pillar.

Kakashi sheathed his short blade and told Usagi "Okay, NOW behave until the tournament starts." Then he walked over to his fellow Shinobis as the bunny man tried to pull his swords out from the pillar. Usagi looked up and stared at Kakashi walking away from him, watching the gray cloak sway.

"You're going to be my Special Friend too," Usagi said in a creepily happy tone that sent chills down Sasuke's spine, while Kakashi raised a visible brow at the comment as he reunited with his fellow Shinobi. Gaara then told the silver haired man "Watch your back with that guy, he tried to take Sasuke a minute ago." The only thing Kakashi said was "Whoa, really? Is that guy just picking fights?"

The sound of something being sliced filled the air.

The Shinobi turned to see Usagi managed to get one of this swords out of the pillar, and saw the decapitated body of one of the twins, the one with the flamethrower. "Oopies, sorry... *Looks at everyone staring at him* It was an accident, I swear," Usagi said waving his bloodied blade around. Of course, none of the other warriors believed him.

Shino adjusted his glasses and said "That rabbit is definitely not right in the head." "No kidding," Naruto said with a gulp, really wishing this whole ordeal would just end.

As Kakashi explained to his fellow Shinobi why he was late, a pair of eyes glared at the Warrior of the Dog. 'That bastard! He's WEARING your clothing, Michio!' the owner of the eyes thought angrily. He heard Naruto say "Really, Sensei?" That really grabbed the man's attention.

<> Flashback: Unknown POV <>

I leaned against a nearby tree as I watch my adorable Michio, working.

"Sensei!" "Sensei!" "Sensei!" A group of children in the 5 to 6 year-old range gathered around a middle age man with snow white skin, black hair, black pointed dog ears on top of his head, cyan blue eyes on black, khaki slacks, sapphire blue short-sleeved shirt, and a green apron and happily cheered. "Alright, alright, everyone calm down," the man, Michio, said with a smile, getting all of the children under control.

He was amazing with children.

Michio then said cheerfully "Now, I reviewed everyone's grades and behaviors for the week, and everyone did really well." A little girl with pigtails asked "Does dat mean we get ta pway da west of tha day?" Michio smiled and said "Yup."

The children cheered happily.

"But first," Michio pipped in before asking "What are the playtime rules?"

The children then said in unison "No fighting, stay where Sensei can see us, tell Sensei if we see stwangers nearby, and go to Sensei when he calls your name." I watched Michio clap happily as he said "Correct! All of you are making Sensei very proud. Now, go play!" The children cheered in a way only children could, before one of them noticed me. That child pointed at me and said "I see a stwanger, Sensei." Another child then said "That's no stwanger! That's Sensei's boyfwiend!"

The next thing I knew, Michio's cyan on black eyes were on me. I could tell he was surprised to see me, after all, he didn't know I was coming. I waved at him.

I heard Michio tell the children to go play, they happily complied. Michio walked over to the fence closest to me and I walked over towards the Daycare. Michio, of course, still kept an eye on the children.

"What are you doing here? There's still an hour left until the parents start arriving," Michio told me. I replied with a smile "I wanted to get you as soon as you're done." Michio snorted and said "You're too early. How long have you been standing there?" "Not long, in fact, I just got here," I told my dear love, before adding "I'll stay out of sight when the parents start arriving." Michio gave me a 'You Better' look and said "I hope so, last time you came early I had parents telling me about a "Creepy Guy Starring at the Daycare" when they came. I almost called the police." "I know we cleared that up, but I also know that you got some new kids, thus new parents," I said.

Michio sighed and told me "Glad you know that, but you didn't really answer why you're here." I raised a brow and said in a seductive tone "Don't tell me you forgot what today is." A saw a shiver go down Michio's spine before he said "Oi! Watch your tone! Kids are really intuitive." "I'm not saying anything that will get me in trouble," I pointed out, before adding seductively "Not yet anyway." "Oi!" Michio said with pink dusting his cheeks and added "How about waiting at that café nearby until I'm done."

The only thing I did was smile.

<> End Flashback: End Unknown POV <>

'So this guy's a teacher too,' the man thought, narrowing his eyes at Kakashi.

Shino adjusted his glasses and said "Well at least no one else will unwillingly get involved in this crazy crap." Naruto looked at the bug-nin with wide eyes and said "Whoa, Shino, I never heard you curse like that before." "Trussst me, you would be in this kind of mood if you wear wearing this kami awful outfit," Shino hissed as he gripped the neck of the collar of the long coat he was wearing. Sasuke raised a brow and asked "You mean that real sk-" "Don't even finishhhh that ssssentanccce," Shino hissed in a threatening tone. Sasuke got the hint, but Naruto had no idea what the bug-nin was angry about. Gaara was wondering what was taking the last warrior so long to arrive. 

Kakashi noticed a pair of eyes on him and wondered 'Why's he glaring at me?'

Everyone's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the Warrior of the Boar, after all she wasn't really trying to hide the fact she was late or actually sorry that she was late.

"Are those Semi-Automatics?" Sasuke whispered to his allies, keeping an eye on the tall blond woman holding a large gun in each of her hands. "She's definitely someone we need to watch out for," Shino whispered back, then Naruto asked "How the hell is she walking so easily while carrying those things? And in those heels?" Kakashi, Gaara, Shino, and Sasuke gave their blond friend a look that practically screamed "Is That the Only Thing You're Worried About Right Now?"

"Welcome, Warriors," a voice said from overhead. It continued by saying "Now that the last of you has arrived, let us begin the Twelfth Jūni Taisen. Everybody, clap your hands!"

<><><>

To be Continued....

<><><>

1)) In the Jūni Taisen Databook, these two were actually born on different months (officially, and despite the fact that they look identical), but because of a technicality on my part, they'll be identical twins in this story.


	3. Chapter 2

Jūni Taisen: Zodiac Wars. Replacement Zodiac and Meddlesome Fox.

Chapter 2; The Battle Begins.

<><><>

<> Unknown POV, Flashback <>

"Eh?! You're participating in the Jūni Taisen too?" Michio asked me in shock as we sat at the dinner table.

I had to tell him about me fighting in the upcoming Jūni Taisen. I didn't want to be apart of it, but there's no way of getting out of participating in the Jūni Taisen. Hold on...

"You said "too", what do you mean by that?" I asked Michio with curiosity.

I watched Michio as he rubbed the side of his neck as his sharp fangs folded over his lips. I always worried about that nervous habit of his, since he was able to bite through steel and all, so he could easily split open his own lips by accident. Michio took a deep breath and said: "I'm participating in the Jūni Taisen as the Warrior of the Dog."

I was taken back. I knew Michio was an amazing warrior, he was Dotsuku of the Mad Dog's Vice, but... I never really expected him to be selected for the Jūni Taisen. Okay, I was actually hoping he wouldn't be selected...

"I do not want to fight you," I stated in complete honesty. I was telling the truth, I did not want to. Michio is a true warrior and can hold his own, I don't have to really have to worry about him in a battle, but...

"I don't want to fight you either, but... It's the Jūni Taisen... And attendance and participation are a must," Michio said, Having the same feeling as I. We were going to have to fight each other in the Jūni Taisen, whether we wanted to or not. Fight each other... Or maybe...

"We can team-up during the Jūni Taisen," I told Michio. He looked at me, his cyan on black eyes open wide in shock. "I know I wouldn't mind, but is that actually allowed?" He asked, his ears twitched a bit. Damn, those adorable micro-habits he has makes it really hard not to just jump him right there. Thank goodness I have a good self-control. "There's no rules saying it isn't," I said, remembering the rules that were listed on the invitation I received. "Working together would be a better strategy," Michio said, placing an index finger on his chin then said "But there can only be one winner in the end..." 

I stood up, walked over to Michio, placed a hand on his cheek, and said: "Then we will simply change that, by winning the whole thing together." I then stroked his cheek with my thumb. "I'm not sure if that's going to possible," Michio stated, placed his hand on my own, and said with a smirk "But like hell, I'm leaving you alone to fight in the Jūni Taisen. Worst-case scenario, one of us dies and the other just use the wish to revive the other."

I smiled and leaned in to kiss him on the lips.

As long as we're together, we will win.

<> End Flashback POV <>

<><><>

"Everybody, clap your hands!" Said a man standing on a higher level in the hall as he started clapping his hands.

This man was the only one clapping... All the warriors, and Naruto, just watched this man clap.

The man stopped clapping and said in a somewhat cheery tone "I will be the referee of this battle. My name is Duodecuple *politely bows*. *Now in a serious (and somewhat threatening) tone* I ask that you remember it." 'Great, another weirdo staff of this Jūni Taisen crap,' Naruto thought rolling his eyes, then thought 'At least he gave us his name.'

"If I may," Duodecuple stated, now back in that slightly cheery tone, and added "I will proceed directly to an explanation of this Jūni Taisen's rules. Please direct your eyes to the center of the table." Everyone did, and all saw those oddly cut black gems sitting in the cups. "There are twelve jewels there. Would you each be kind enough to take one?" Duodecuple asked politely.

Sharyū woke up the teen snoozing against the pillar so he could take a gem. Naruto couldn't help but notice that the Warrior of the Boar looked annoyed when the Warrior of the Monkey did that. The blond Shinobi wondered if the Boar hated the Monkey for some reason.

Gaara picked up one of the tar-black gems and brushed passed the tall man with long hair, when the redhead did the coffin strapped to his back began to shake. Gaara halted and tapped the coffin with his right knuckle, the coffin shook harder. Sasuke stood in front of his lover and asked: "Didn't you make sure that there was nothing alive in that before we came here?" Gaara looked at the sheep hybrid and said as he thumbed the coffin on his back "I did, but this one can sometimes have a mind of its own." The coffin shook again. "Don't remind me that particular fact," Naruto shuttered, remembering that particular coffin in action the month after the hybrid transformation when Gaara was still experimenting with his new abilities.

Soon, each of the Warriors of the Zodiac had one of the jewels in hand. Naruto looked at the tar-black jewels in his allies hands and wondered 'So what are those going to be used for in this tournament?' The blond Shinobi then looked over at the Dragon, noticing that he wasn't even upset that his twin brother was killed just a few moments ago, and thought 'Eesh, seems like that rabbit guy isn't the only one who's messed up. How can you not be mad about your family getting killed right in front of you?' Dragon grinned when he looked the tar-black gem in his hand.

"Now that everyone has a jewel, I ask that you swallow them whole," Duodecuple stated. Naruto's head snapped to the man and asked/shouted "Swallow? The jewels? Seriously? Those things are a little big to swallow whole!" Kakashi bonked the blond Shinobi on the head and said "Calm down, they aren't that big." Naruto rubbed the new bump on his head and grumble "Easy for you to say, you're use to it."

WHACK!!!

"OUCH!! What the hell?!" Naruto shouted, now rubbing the new bigger bump on his head. Shino rubbed his right knuckle on his left wrist (since he was holding the gem in his left hand) and said "Your perverted mouth." Sasuke and Gaara blinked as the sheep hybrid said "You really are in rare form, Shino." "Don't get ussse to it," the serpent hybrid hissed out. Kakashi, for once, didn't seem to noticed the perverted hint when he said with a sweatdrop "Ano, you guys aren't supposed to fight yet." Sasuke gave his sensei a look and wondered how the silver-haired man missed such an obviously perverted quip.

The hybrids watched the other Warriors of the Zodiac swallow their respective jewels. Sasuke, Gaara, and Shino popped their gems into their mouths, threw their heads back and swallowed them whole, and without choking too. Kakashi pulled down his mask, popped the gem in his mouth, swallowed the gem, and put his mask back on. The younger Shinobis were only able to see his throat bob when he swallowed. 'How is it that we missed seeing his face?' Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, and Shino thought at the same time.

"Good. Now, the object you have just swallowed is a lump of poison. Crystallized poison called "Juseki"," Duodecuple stated. Kakashi quickly grabbed ahold of Naruto and covered his mouth, to prevent him from making any more outbursts.

Duodecuple continued to explain "A powerful poison that reacts chemically with stomach acid and will, in approximately twelve hours, result in death. Now allow me to begin a concrete explanation of the rules. I urge you all to pay close attention as I will explain this only once." "Which means you can vent your anger afterwards, okay Naruto," Kakashi stated, before removing his hand from the blond Shinobi's mouth. "But, Sensei!" Was all Naruto got out before Kakashi stated sternly "After the rules are explained." Naruto huffed, folded his arms, and allowed the dog hybrid to release him.

Duodecuple grinned and continued "The Warrior that collects all twelve Juseki, or Beast Jewels, will be the winner. The winning warrior will be granted any one wish of their choosing. Even a wish to revive the dead. And there is a bonus prize at the end of the Jūni Taisen." 'Collect? But we're going to be fighting one-on-one, why is it necessary to collect these poison gems?' Naruto wondered, still trying to keep his anger in check. 

"I have a question, may I?" the tall man with the long hair said, raising his hand. "By all means, but introduction please." "Ushii; Warrior of the Ox; Killing Symmetrically," the tall man with the long hair stated clearly. Kakashi quietly whispered to Gaara, Sasuke, Shino, and Naruto (loud enough for them to hear but soft enough for no one else could hear) "From what I heard from the Jūni Taisen officials, he's the one most likely to win this. It be best to hope that none of us are selected to fight him in the first round." The young Shinobi nodded discreetly at that. Ushii then asked his question "If all the warriors have been poisoned, doesn't that mean we'll all ultimately die, whether or not we win?" Duodecuple answered by saying "Your concern is a natural one. I will offer the natural answer. You may rest assured that the winner will receive the antidote as another bonus prize." 'Considerate,' Naruto thought sarcastically.

Sharyū then asked "So if we don't win, we're dead for sure, right?" "Yes," Duodecuple stated before adding "It differs by individuals, but it is safe to assume the poison will continue to dissolve as the time limit approaches, until, ultimately, it vanishes entirely." The woman in the tiger printed bikini then stated/asked "Tora; Warrior of the Tiger; Killin' in Drunken Rage. So it could be game over before we even hit the time limit?" "That is a safe assumption, indeed," Duodecuple stated before adding "And just to get this out of the way, the Juseki only react to fresh human stomach acid. There is no chance of damaging them with physical force, no matter how powerful." Despite getting madder and madder with each word spoken, Naruto managed to catch a glimpse of the Boar smirking. 'Makes scene, she's carrying those two big gun thing and I'm sure those things can make swiss cheese of anything. I'm sure those Taisen bastards thought about some of the warriors bringing powerful forced weapons to the table,' Naruto thought, bitting his lip.

"I just have one final question," Ushii stated, then asked "How do we retrieve the jewels that have been swallowed?" Now that the Ox brought it up, Naruto did wondered this too, after all all the jewels were inside the stomachs of the Warriors. 'But why make everyone swallow the poison when it's a tournament? And why collect them?' The blond Shinobi wondered, now smelling something really fishy. With practically an evil glint in his eyes, Duodecuple said "We leave that to the capacity and discretion of the individual, but if I may be so bold as to offer some of my opinions, splitting open an opponent's stomach or bringing an opponent to the peak of sexual pleasure would be the most effective methods. You may use whatever you would like to use in this Battle Royal."

Naruto could no longer control his rage and shouted "OI! OI! OI! THIS ISN'T WHAT YOU DAMN BASTARDS TOLD US WOULD BE APART OF THIS JŪNI TAISEN CRAP!!! YOU TOLD US THAT IT WOULD BE HELD AS AN ONE-ON-ONE TOURNAMENT STYLE BATTLE!!! NOT A BATTLE ROYAL!!! AND NO ONE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT POISONING ANYONE!!! AND CERTAINLY NOTHING ABOUT KILLING OR RAPING ANYONE!!!!" "Oi! Naruto!" Sasuke said, grabbing ahold of the blond Shinobi's shoulder. Naruto continued shouting "YOU BASTARDS JUST FORCED US TO PARTICIPATE WITHOUT TELLING US ALL THE FUCKING INFORMATION!! WHAT KIND OF CRAP IS THIS JŪNI TAISEN REALLY ABOUT!?!?" "Naruto does have a point," Gaara stated, glaring at Duodecuple, and added "This is the first time us replacements are hearing about this "Last One Standing" type of battle, and now even Shukaku wants to rip apart these Jūni Taisen bastards." Gaara's teal eyes turned red on black and Sasuke exactly knew what that meant. Lumps of something started rustling under Shino's long overcoat when he stated "Why am I not sssurprisssed?"

"I agree, with my students," Kakashi stated in an oddly calm voice, then added "And considering that you guys had an entire year to tell us that information, but purposely failed to do. It makes me think that you guys were just that desperate to have all 12 Zodiac Warriors slots filled and remained filled." Duodecuple smirked and said in almost an evil glee "I suppose that's true, but now it is too late for any of you to really do anything but to participate to the fullest of your abilities." The teenage Shinobi glared at the man in black. The coffin on Gaara's back rattled in anger. "Before any of my students actually start their attacks on you Duodecuple-san I would like to ask a question," Kakashi said before adding "As long as the Juseki jewels are in our guts, we are obligated to participate, right?" Duodecuple smirked again and said, "That is correct, so I suggest you do your best to protect the ones in your stomachs."

"Sasuke, Gaara, Shino, it looks like we have to participate," Kakashi stated, earning confused and surprised looks from the shinobis. Sasuke managed to catch the Dog Zodiac tapping his left index and middle fingers on his right arm. 'I see, so that's the plan,' the Uchiha thought before noticing Gaara and Shino caught it too, Naruto obviously didn't catch it. Kakashi patted Naruto on the head and said cheerfully "Don't worry Naruto, we'll be fine." "But!" Was all Naruto got out before Kakashi twisted both his knuckles on the sides of the blond's head. "Be~have now~, okay~," the dog-hybrid said in an oddly cheerful tone.

The rest of the Zodiacs just watched, not really sure what to really think. But...

Boar thought 'Dearest me, quiet a dramatic show, but sadly, I'm in this Jūni Taisen and I intend to win this.'

Sharyū happily thought 'They really are close.'

The sleepy teen just yawned.

Ushii just stared at the Shinobis.

Usagi placed a curious finger to his lip (think a curious little child, but older and creepier).

The green haired girl in the red feathered cloak just tilted her head to the side.

Duodecuple glanced around the hall, seeing as no one else had any other questions, took off his hat, bowed politely, and said "Now, the world's finest warriors, I wish you Godspeed and the beginning of the 12th Jūni Taisen, but I do ask that you wait a few minutes before you start fighting." Then he vanished in a fading light. And with that, the atmosphere got heavy with tension.

Kakashi moved both of his hands to the two dagger swords on his belt, causing some of the other warriors to hover their hands over their weapons, ready to retaliate in case of an attack.

In a flash of light, Kakashi had four Juseki jewels balancing on his blades, two on each. Everyone could only blink in confusion, well, everyone but Sasuke, Gaara, and Shino anyway. Naruto was shifting his head from his friends to his Sensei, trying to really comprehend what had just happened. Gaara rubbed his stomach and said "Wow, I really didn't feel a thing." "It's one of those weirdly cool abilities," Sasuke stated with a bit of a snicker. That was when Naruto got what was going on. 'Whaah! That scared the shit out of me, but at least Kakashi-sensei got those poison gems out without hurting them,' Naruto with a breath of relief.

"Oh, my," Kakashi said with a cheerful tone and a smiling eye, and adding in that same tone "It looks like the four of us are already out of this tournament~." Playing along, Sasuke said, "Yeah, what a shame." Naruto was really glad his allies were out of this Jūni Taisen crap, and without getting hurt.

"Hold on a minute!" The girl with green hair spoke up, making everyone turn their attention to her. "Ano, N-N-Niwatori; Warrior of the Chicken; Killing by Pecking. Ano, Dotsuku-san, are you really sure you and your students are not participating anymore? I mean, you guys aren't even going to try?" The green haired girl asked timidly. Shino adjusted his glasses and said "I'm sure you heard, we were forced into this. Besides, none of us are actually motivated to fight in this thing." Gaara and Sasuke then said at the same time "Agreed." Kakashi flung the Juseki jewels onto the table and said "Since my students are out of this tournament, I'm fine with not fighting. Besides, isn't it better for the rest of you? Four fighters are already out, that increases the odds of one of you winning." Niwatori looked really fidgety at the moment.

'Yeah, that makes sense,' Naruto thought, folding his arms, and thought 'So why is chicken girl complaining?' The blond Shinobi really wasn't liking the feeling he was getting from the green haired girl.

The silver-haired teen picked up one of the Juseki jewels on the table and said in a tired tone "Nezumi; Warrior of the Rat; Killing All. I can understand that situation, but isn't this a cheap way of getting out of the Jūni Taisen? Not that I'm complaining or anything. It's just... Aren't you guys worried that the Jūni Taisen officials are going to do something to you for retaliating like this?" Kakashi smiled under his mask and said "You're perceptive, and that would normally be true, but I managed to convince those Jūni Taisen officials to sign a contract that would prevent them from going back on their words to us. So don't worry about us."

Sharyū walked next to Nezumi and said "Are you guys really sure about your decision?" Sasuke waved and said "Yeah, we're sure." Kakashi and Shino nodded while Naruto grinned happily. Gaara had a knuckle on his chin, thinking about something. "Is there something on your mind, Gaara?" The sheep hybrid asked his love. "I hope I'm overthinking this, but what did the referee mean by "wait a few minutes before you start fighting"? He gave the okay for the Jūni Taisen to start, so why ask for the warriors not to fight right away?" Gaara asked in all seriousness.

That was a good point... Why officially start the tournament by asking the fighters not to battle right away?

The ground suddenly started shaking.

Gaara wrapped a protective arm around Sasuke when the sheep hybrid fell towards him. Everyone else got into a fighting stance. Another hard shake caused Niwatori to collide with Kakashi, Usagi caught his balance and stood over the decapitated body, and Sharyū caught Nezumi before he lost his balance.

The ground under each of the warriors started glowing white, then engulfed them in a pillar.

Naruto, not really thinking, charged towards the closest pillar. The blond Shinobi pushed Shino and himself out of the pillar, right before all of the pillars disappeared with the warriors.

"What the hell?! Where'd they all go?" Naruto asked out loud. Shino looked around and so far, only the bug-nin and the blond Shinobi were in the giant hall. The two quickly got to their feet and started searching the area for anything that could tell them what happened to the others.

After a solid five minutes of searching... Nothing. Just Naruto, Shino, and the remaining three Juseki jewels on the table.

<>

"Where are we?" Sasuke asked Gaara as he looked around the area, which seemed to be a shopping district.

"So that's why that guy told everyone not to fight right away, he didn't want a chance of ending the Jūni Taisen early, so they scattered the warriors to make it last longer," Gaara stated, now understanding the situation. Sasuke tapped his bō staff on his shoulder and said: "Well, at least we know that the longest we can wait out this thing is twelve hours." "And why the city was really evacuated," the redhead stated before looking around and asked, "Should we leave the city or find a place to hide out until the twelve hours are up?" Sasuke spotted a clothing store and said "To be honest, I don't think it really matters, but just to be on the safe side, let's get out if the city so we don't get caught in the crossfire. After I get some actual clothing." With a raised brow, Gaara asked "Really? Now you actually want to wear something else?" "I only agreed to wear this crap because I thought it was mandatory since it's not, I'm not wearing it longer then I have to," Sasuke stated with a huff as he started walking towards the clothing store.

'Should I tell him that I told him so?' Gaara wondered, before deciding not to. After all, Sasuke really wasn't in the mood for this kind of thing.

The coffin on Gaara's back rattled.

<>

"That was enlightening," Kakashi said as he stared at the tower he was just until a few seconds ago. "But really, scattering everyone? But, I guess it's to draw out the battle," the dog hybrid stated in a board tone, before adding "At least, that's what I would think if I was by myself," while glancing at the greenette beside him. Niwatori gave a nervous chuckle as she held that pitchfork closer to her body.

"So what exactly was your plan, Niwatori-san?" Kakashi asked in a tone that seemed like he really didn't care whether or not the greenette told him her plan. Nervously, Niwatori said "I-I d-don't kn-know what you mean? The ground shook and I just happen to fall near you, Dotsuku-san." "You really think I'd believe that," the dog hybrid stated rather then asked, before walking away from the greenette and saying "Listen, I'm out of the tournament, so whatever you got planned, leave me out of it." "B-but! Dotsuku-san!" Niwatori shouted, trying to stop Kakashi from leaving.

'I should at least tell her I'm not Dotsuku,' Kakashi thought, looking over his shoulder to see a pidgin land on Niwatori's shoulder and cooed in her ear. The dog hybrid raised a brow at this.

"Eh?! Are you sure?!" Niwatori asked the bird, who only cooed in response. Now Kakashi's suspicions were really raising when he asked "You can communicate with birds?" Niwatori explained in a bit of a panicked tone "I have this secret ability called the Eye of the Cormorant, it allows me to control and communicate with birds!" 'That much I figured,' Kakashi thought, wondering why she told him that she could "Control" birds as well, then thought 'Kind of reminds me of the Aburame abilities except with birds.' Niwatori then quickly added "That crazy almost naked guy is a Necromancer! The birds saw him use the corps of that dead twin to kill Boar!" "A Necromancer? Seriously? You really think I'm going to believe that?" Kakashi asked as he folded his arms.

"I'm not lying! He really is one!" Niwatori stated in a frantically desperate tone, and added "I think it might've been just a coincidence that Rabbit and Boar were sent to the same location. But Rabbit used that corps to grab Boar from behind, preventing her from using her guns, and he stabbed her through her throat with his swords! He has her poison jewel thing and now she's one of his minions!" Kakashi's eye narrowed. While he didn't trust the greenette, he now knew she wasn't lying about the Necromancer. 'If she were lying she wouldn't have been that specific about where Boar was stabbed,' the dog hybrid thought.

"That's just great, Necromancers are nothing but trouble," Kakashi grumbled out loud, then said, "And that also means that he's not going to care if my students are in still in the Jūni Taisen or not since every kill they make strengthens their ranks." The dog hybrid wasn't liking the situation. "Ano," Niwatori said, getting Kakashi's attention, and said, "I can use my birds to help find your students, and I can use them to keep an eye on Rabbit so we don't run into him and his corps allies." The idea wasn't a bad one, especially in this situation, but...

'Why is she so bent on teaming-up with me? Or rather, why does she want to team-up with Dotsuku so badly?' Kakashi wondered suspiciously. "Listen, as much as I appreciate the offer, I'm really not participating in this Jūni Taisen, the Juseki gem isn't in my stomach anymore, and I'm not teaming-up with someone I'm not familiar with," Kakashi stated as he started walking away, really wanting to get away from the greenette, and added "So there's really nothing for you to gain by working with me." "But! I'm in the same situation as your students!" Niwatori shouted.

Kakashi stopped in his tracks.

He looked over his shoulders and asked: "Come again?" Niwatori fidgeted a bit and said "You see, my mother was supposed to be the Warrior of the Chicken in this Jūni Taisen, but six months ago, she got caught in an explosion and died. So, those Jūni Taisen officials said that I had to take her place in the Jūni Taisen... But this is my first time on a real battlefield and I really don't know what I'm supposed to do, so I was kind of hoping one of the more experienced warriors would team-up with me."

Kakashi stared at Chicken and thought 'She's lying, big time. The Jūni Taisen has to take battlefield experience into consideration when selecting the Twelve Warriors and there is no way they would let someone inexperienced into a bloodbath like this just to fill space. Kuro made very sure we knew that when he told us why he selected us to participate. She really wants that alliance with Dotsuku, but why? According to the data I've read, the guy's pretty much a lone wolf... Hold on, the data did said that he started working with someone a couple of years ago... But still, I highly doubt Dotsuku would actually team-up with someone who's calling herself a newbie, so why would she-.' "Please!" Niwatori practically shouted, snapping Kakashi out of his thoughts.

"I'm kinda scared, especially with that Necromancer here," Niwatori said, shaking, and pretty much ready to wet herself right there. 'Gotta admit, she's a really good actor,' Kakashi thought, rubbed his temples, and said: "Damn it, just call me a sucker for helpless kids." With a big childish grin, Niwatori asked: "Does that mean you'll team-up with me?" "Only until that rabbit has been neutralized (1), understand," Kakashi stated sternly, making sure the Chicken got the point. Niwatori nodded happily.

With that, the two started walking.

Kakashi kept a good distance ahead of Niwatori, he was out of her pitchfork's range but be was close enough to her to count as a teammate. The dog hybrid had already gathered some good info on Chicken already when he thought 'I was right, she's got some battlefield experience. I shouldn't really be surprised in all honesty... But for now, I'll play along with her as Dotsuku until she reveals what her actual plans are. Sasuke, Gaara, and Shino should figure out this situation pretty quickly if we run into them, but I really hope we don't, considering I don't know what she's actually capable of. But if her control over birds is anything like the Kikaichū of the Aburame clan, I'm not letting my guard down around her.'

Niwatori was smiling like a happy child when she thought 'That took more convincing then I thought it would, but I got Dotsuku to agree to an alliance, all according to plan.' She glances at "Dotsuku" and thought cheerfully 'You may not know it, but you're going to seal my victory in this Jūni Taisen. Don't worry, Dotsuku-san, I'll erect a statue of you in your honor after I win~.'

<>

"Well?" Naruto asked Shino, as something crawled up the snake hybrid's sleeve. "My Kikaichū tell me that it was indeed the Jūni Taisen officials," Shino said plainly. Naruto grumbled a "Knew it" and then asked "You got any idea where Sasuke, Gaara, and Kakashi-sensei are?" Shino shook his head and said "No, the locations were random and so were the warriors sent to each location." Naruto cursed under his breath at this. A couple of small bugs crawled onto the back of Shino's hands as he said "I'll send some of my regular Kikaichū to search the city for them." Those insects then took flight and flew out of an open window.

"Why not send some of those Viper Kikaichū too? You know just in case they needs help," Naruto asked glaring at the Juseki jewels on the table. Shino shook his head and said "No, they're bigger and they're easily seen, they'll attracted attention. They might have more of a bite, but they're not really stealthy. And at the moment we want to find our friends without letting those warriors know where they are." As the bug-nin said that a hand long serpent-like insect crawled over his palm.

"Good point," Naruto stated as he looked over the city through another window. "Damn it! I want to go search for them myself," the blond stated, banging the window. Shino then stated "Not until we have a better idea on where to look. Don't forget, this is a big city." Naruto knew the other was right. Running around this place blind was a disaster waiting to happen, especially in an all-out battle royal.

<>

Usagi walked down a street, the corps of the headless twin and the Boar followed him as they swayed with each step they took. Cackling, Usagi said to the corps "I can't wait to make those two into my Special Friends." If the two undead could talk, they would tell the Warrior of the Rabbit to calm down, since it seemed like he didn't notice how tight his shorts had become. "Oh yes, I can picture it already," Usagi cackled madly, as sticky white liquid seeped through his shorts.

Usagi sheathes one of his blades in that giant fluffy tail and started palming himself, not really caring that he was doing it in front of a pair of corps. "Heh heh, a cuddly sheep and a nimble dog," Usagi cackled madly as he continued his ministrations.

><

Ten Minutes into the Jūni Taisen... Boar: Eliminated.

<><><>

To be Continued...

<><><>

1)) Neutralize is a term used in combat that basically means to Get Rid Of, Kill, or Render Useless.


	4. Chapter 3

Jūni Taisen: Zodiac Wars. Replacement Zodiac and Meddlesome Fox.

Chapter 3; Behind the War.

<><><>

<> Unknown POV <>

I looked around, getting my bearings, that was when I realized that I was near the harbor of the city.

'So, they transported all us warriors to different locations so we wouldn't kill each other right away... Should I even care where I am?' I thought before I started walking towards the tower I was in only a few minutes ago. It would be best to fight closer inland rather than by the harbor, least likely to have the storage units and water to an enemy's advantage.

As I continued on my way, I began to strategize what I should do to combat each of the warriors, should I run into them, and even calculated strategies to use if they were to form an alliance. I also made strategies for those four replacements, just in case. I wasn't taking any chances that they might have been faking their desire to not participate. I'm winning this Jūni Taisen and getting that wish. Minus the antidote to the poison, I don't care about any bonus prize, whatever it might be.

I clench the rings on the chain that hung around my neck, under my shirt.

It's not just me who needs Michio...

My cell phone rang. I answered my phone immediately, I already knew who was calling.

"Keiko, the Jūni Taisen just started," I told the person on the person on the other end of the line. "Whaa, sorry! I just wanted to make sure you got there safely," I heard her say into the phone. I smiled and said "It's alright, I understand. You behaving yourself?" "I'm being good," Keiko said happily, before asking seriously "Are you going to be alright?"

I understood what she meant.

"I'll be fine Keiko, I'm going to win this," I told her. I'm not going to lose, I can't lose, I need that wish. There was silence on the other line, I almost thought we got disconnected when I heard Keiko say softly "I know I shouldn't worry about you, but... Just promise you'll come home. I don't know what I'll do if I lost you too, Chichi (1)...."

I gripped the phone a bit harder. Keiko was Michio's 11-year-old daughter. I met her when she was 7 when Michio and I got serious about our relationship, and she now sees me as a second dad. I was able to take care of her when Michio went into that coma, but... It's been hard on both of us.

"I'll come home when this is all over, no matter what the outcome may be, I promise," I told Keiko. I can no longer afford to lose, it's not just Michio I'm fighting for. "Okay, Chichi, I'll have some of those yummy chicken onigiri waiting for you," Keiko happily said. I only said, "Okay, I'll talk to you later." Before we both hung up.

I must win.

<>End Unknown POV <>

<><><>

"That's much better," Sasuke said, stepping out of the dressing room wearing a navy blue short sleeved shirt with a blazing red fire pattern at the helm of the shirt, and white slacks that reached his knees. Gaara raised a brow in amusement and said: "That suits you better." "And it's a hell of a lot more comfortable and more appropriate for battle," Sasuke said, looking at the price tag he pulled off of the clothes, then asked, "What currency is this?" Gaara walked over to the ravenette and looked at the tags and said "No idea."

The redhead opened the small coffin on his left arm and pulled a glittering yellow stone roughly half the size of his hand out if the coffin. "No matter what currency it is, this should be enough to pay for it," Gaara stated, placing the shimmering stone on the register counter.

The coffin on Gaara's back shook again, but this time, it nearly caused him to lose his balance.

"Alright, is there something in that? And don't say it has a mind of its own. There's no way that thing's been shaking that much without having something in it," Sasuke stated, pointing at the coffin on Gaara's back. The redhead agreed before unstrapping the coffin on his back and carefully placed it on the ground. The coffin was shaking intensity now.

The two hoofed hybrids knelt to the ground (Sasuke did it slower because he has a harder time kneeling with his hooves) next to the coffin. Gaara carefully and slowly opened the coffin.

Both Sasuke and Gaara looked inside the coffin, they’re eyes widened in shock as they let out a "What the hell?!?!" at the exact same time.

<>

Naruto was pacing around the circumference of the hall in the tower, waiting for the Kikaichū to return with some kind of intel. "Naruto, pleassse ssstop, you're making me dizzzzy," Shino stated, rubbing his temples in annoyance. Naruto turned to his friend and said in a hasty tone "Come on Shino, aren't you worried about them? They're out there in the city with all of those killers and perverts!" Shino adjusted his glasses and said, "I am aware, but they can handle themselves and our new abilities are not to be underestimated." About ten serpent-like bugs slithered out from the bug-nin's sleeves and flew around the hall, itching for some action.

"Eesh, they're antsy for something," Naruto commented, as he watched them wiz by. Shino was quite a bit before saying "They smell blood." Naruto let out an "Eh? Already? But the tournament just started."

Suddenly, a regular Kikaichū flew in, a bit faster then it's usual pacing, and buzzed frantically when it landed on Shino's right index finger. "You sure?" Shino asked the insect, who just buzzed in return. "Damn it!" The snake hybrid hissed out before whistling for his serpent bugs to return to him. Taken back by this sudden action from the normally quiet teen, Naruto asked "Shino, what happened? What did your Kikaichū tell you?"

Shino then grabbed the blond's wrist, started racing towards the stairs, and explained "That perverted Rabbit isss a Necromancccer! And he'sss got that Sssnake Twin and Boar under hisss control!" "What!? Wait you mean that's why he killed that guy before this crap started?! To give him a loyal ally at the start?!" Shino nodded as he summoned a swarming cloud of Kikaichū so he and Naruto could ride it down the 200 story staircase, and said "Sssound'sss about right, and it ssseemsss like that guy'sss not a complete killing lunatic, asss we originally thought. He'sss a calculating killer, and using the onesss he killed."

"Damn, I'm really hating this Jūni Taisen thing more and more," Naruto growled out as they descended, then said "Now I really hope Sensei, Sasuke, and Gaara don't run into that perverted rabbit. I REALLY don't want to know what he's going to do to them." Shino only nodded at that.

<>

Kakashi had a hand to his chin, thinking. “Dotsuku-san is there something wrong?” Niwatori asked the dog warrior in a curious tone. Kakashi eyed the vermilion clad girl and asked: "You wouldn't happen to have any the intel on the others warriors?" "Ano, other than the fact that the Rabbit is a Necromancer, just some unconfirmed rumors... Ano, what about you?" Niwatori asked, fidgeting with her pitchfork.

"I'm not telling you anything about my students," Kakashi stated coldly, before adding "But other than that, I don't know anything about the others... But I have heard some rumors about Ushii, the Warrior of the Ox. All of them pretty much calling him The Genius of the Slaughter." 'With her ability, she should have some information on some of the other fighters not just rumors. But she really wants to keep up that "Poor Wittle Girl" act... What could she possibly want from Dotsuku that would require such a deception?' The canine warrior wondered to himself.

Niwatori gulped in nervousness. "I'm going to guess between the Ox and Rabbit, this is certainly not going to be an easy tournament to survive," Kakashi stated, before wondering out loud "Then again, the winner does get anyone wish they want but is all this crap really worth a wish?"

Niwatori clutched her pitchfork close to her person and said: "Ano, I guess if you want something badly enough." "Maybe, but is it really worth this crap?" Kakashi asked before adding "And not to mention that it still doesn't really explain why the Jūni Taisen needed all the Warrior slots filled. I mean, they were pretty desperate to recruit my students into this thing. Also, wouldn't it be a bit easier to manage the Jūni Taisen with fewer Warriors?" "You are making a good point, Dotsuku-san..." Niwatori said as a pidgin landed on her shoulder.

Kakashi folded his arms and stated, "Something just stinks about this whole thing." 'And I don't just mean you, little girl,' the silver-haired man thought to himself.

<><><>

Duodecuple was standing in a room of VIPs, welcoming them to the Jūni Taisen.

"We will start the formal bidding when there are half of the twelve fighters are remaining," Duodecuple announces as the images of the 12 Warriors of the Zodiac appeared on a relatively large monitor. The image of the Warrior of the Boar was not as bright as the other warriors, signifying that she was no longer in the tournament.

"I have a question. May I?" One VIP asked the referee of the Jūni Taisen, who replied: "By all means." "When you said when half of them remain, the corpse doesn't count, correct?" The same VIP asked. Duodecuple replied, "Indeed, they do not."

Another VIP then asked "And what about the replacement warriors? They somehow removed the Beast Gems from their stomachs. Does that mean they aren't in the Jūni Taisen anymore?" Duodecuple gave a grin and stated "Ah, you are asking a fair question. So allow me to give you a fair answer. While it is true that they no longer hold any Beast Gem, they are still participants in the Jūni Taisen, they are simply in last place due to not having any Beast Gems. Whether they are aware of it or not. However, since the city is the battlefield for the Jūni Taisen, if any should the Replacement Warriors leave sed battlefield, they are disqualified from the Jūni Taisen. Does that answer your question?" The VIP nodded and stated that it did.

"What about that blond kid that tagged along with the replacements?" One VIP asked in a curious tone.

With that smile on his face, Duodecuple stated "Sadly, that one is out of our control. But, if you all wish to bet on how long it takes for him to get killed, by all means."

An excited murmur surged through the VIP room.

<><><>

Dragon was watching the entire city from the sky.

He was technically still within the city limit.

Dragon saw the new Sheep and Horse go into a clothing store, he saw Chicken convince Dog to form an alliance, he saw Rabbit walking down a street with his "Friends", and he saw the bastard who took his brother's place and that blond teen burst out of the tower that they started in.

Dragon tilted his head to the side as he watched Shino and Naruto storm across the building's courtyard and wondered 'Why are they in a hurry?'

<><><>

Gaara placed another golden rock onto the cashier's table and asked Sasuke "How's it look outside?" Tapping his bō staff on his left shoulder, Sasuke stated: "It's clear, for now." Gaara nodded before stating "Then let's get out of the city before any of the other warriors find us and hope Sensei, Shino, and Naruto are doing the same."

Gaara nodded before turning his attention to a shadow that was walking towards the Horse and Sheep replacements and asked: "What about him?" Sasuke then said "He going to have to come with us. Besides, he's in no condition to fight." Gaara had to agree.

With that, they left the store so they could get out of the city.

The moonlight peaked out of the clouds, casting shadows. Sasuke's and Gaara's shadow trailed behind them, but the third's shadow was semi-transparent where the shadow's arms and head were.

<><><>

Despite having his usual mask on, Kakashi was able to catch whiff of a scent closing in. He growled and said, "Someone's found us." Niwatori jump with an "Eep! R-really?! A-already!?"

Kakashi placed his hands on the hilt of his blades. While he really didn't want to fight, he knew that if it was one of the more bloodthirsty fighters he wasn't going to get out of fighting.

Now footsteps could be heard.

'Cht, just my luck,' Kakashi thought with a growl.

<><><>

To be Continued...

<><><>

1)) Chichi is an informal Japanese term for Dad.


End file.
